The Business Growth Blog

The Hidden Battle of Entrepreneurship Growing a business can be terrifying—not just because of the risks, but because of the emotional scars it leaves behind. Where I grew up, many believed entrepreneurship was either a scam or dumb luck. You made it to the top by bribing the right people, knowing someone powerful, or simply […]

Want a Leadership Team That Leads Without You? Building a leadership team in a small business isn’t like running a Fortune 500 company or a private equity-backed firm where you can scoop up top talent, toss them in at the deep end, and see who floats. Can swim? Great. Can’t swim? Oh well, next. But […]

Ever wondered how private equity investors grow their portfolio companies? Their goal is simple yet ambitious: triple the value of a small business in 3–5 years before selling it to a strategic buyer or another private equity fund. Why the rush? Their investors expect a hefty 15–20% annual return on their money. So, what do […]

As coaches, our business is simple: catalyze results. If our clients aren’t achieving better, bigger, and more profitable outcomes than they would on their own, we’re falling short. Fortunately, we have an arsenal of tools at our disposal. For example, we can: These tools are invaluable, but there’s one that stands out: asking questions. Why? […]

Starting weekly tactical meetings with a positive check-in has become a standard practice for many small business teams. It’s that moment when everyone shares personal or business good news to set a warm, upbeat tone before diving into strategy. Some executives love it, citing the camaraderie and rapport it builds. Others? Not so much. They […]

Most business owners talk about growing their companies. In fact, Bank of America’s 2024 Business Owner Report shows that 87% of medium-sized businesses expect to grow. But here’s the catch: many business owners don’t truly want growth. What they actually want is a good income and a balanced lifestyle. And guess what? There’s nothing wrong […]

Can you guess the biggest obstacle to sustainable business growth? No, it’s not the lack of money, people, technology, or systems. Sure, all of these matter eventually. But even without them, you can still make progress some of the time. What you absolutely must have, though, are practical, actionable plans. Why Solid Plans Matter Without […]

If you know me, you’ve likely heard about my obsession: to inoculate immortality into small businesses. I call this mission “Eradicating Business Covid.” What is Business Covid™? It’s a pandemic quietly killing 180,000 small to medium-sized businesses every year. This silent epidemic takes 2 million jobs and 4% of U.S. GDP growth with it annually. […]

Years ago, I worked as an M&A advisor with Laszlo, the owner of an HVAC business. Over time, he became one of our best customers, snapping up every service we offered—valuation, acquisition advisory, capital raising—you name it. Laszlo was a mix of challenging and entertaining to work with. His curiosity and self-reflection made him a […]

In my last blog, we talked about the difference between Lifestyle Businesses and Growth Businesses. To recap: If you want to own a Growth Business, you need to: Sounds exciting, right? Here’s the catch: growth is painful. Why Growth is Always Painful Both spotting opportunities and building a scalable business require creating something entirely new—amid […]

Do you feel like younger generations just aren’t as motivated as we used to be? They want remote work, “Bare Minimum Mondays,” and “Flexible Fridays.” They don’t care about your company’s mission or your endless meetings. They just want to check off tasks and live their lives outside of your business. But here’s the thing—this […]

I’ve always struggled with the idea of the “Integrator”—a person who runs your business while you focus on being the “Visionary.” In 2015, Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters published Rocket Fuel, promoting the concept of hiring an Integrator to free visionary entrepreneurs from the burden of managing their businesses. According to Wickman’s Entrepreneurial Operating […]